Illinois : Damien Henderson
Damien Ramell Henderson was born on February 10, 1987 to Charlene (Scott) James and Johnnie Henderson in Champaign Illinois. Champaign is located in the east central section of Illinois and has a population of around 88,000. Damien attended Champaign Unit 4 public schools. The school district is home to just over 10,000 students in the district and holds an above average rating. Damien excelled in athletics as he was regularly described as a “big boy” with an infectious laugh. Eventually reaching 6’4” tall, basketball was his sport of choice. A childhood friend and rival player described him in an article with the News-Gazette as the biggest kid around but a gentle giant. He remembered that he was the only kid that could dunk in middle school. I found so many newspaper articles with his name at the top of the stats lines. He was an excellent rebounder and his stature helped him maintain a dominant position as the team’s center.
Damien continued to excel in athletics eventually earning a starting position on the regional championship team as a sophomore at Champaign Central High School. Even though he had a commanding presence on the court, Damien had a quiet, laid back and humble personality. He enjoyed music and video games and was very selective of his friends.
After graduating high school, Damien attended Lincoln Junior College. He then went on to get a job at Absolute Best and Custom Care Upholstery
Damien’s life is fairly quiet in his adult years. I learned he had two daughters that were his world. He was always talking about them to whoever he was having a conversation with.
When he was 27 years old, on March 10, 2014, Damien was arrested for aggravated fleeing or attempt to elude, speeding and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Damien would plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 120 days of electronic home detention however he wasn’t scheduled to report until November.
In the weeks leading up to the day he was to report, Damien was making strides towards improving his life. He had reached out to a previous assistant coach who worked as a basketball coach at his high school to meet up for lunch. He hoped that the coach being a positive influence in his past would be able to shed some light on how he could make changes.
On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, Damien was set to report for his 120 day sentence. His girlfriend hadn’t seen or heard from him and called his parent’s residence asking if they had seen or heard from him. His mother then called law enforcement and notified them that her son had not come home. She also called his phone repeatedly with no response. In an interview with the News-Gazette, Damien’s mother stated that she knew something was wrong and that it was just mother’s intuition.
What she didn’t know at that time is that a wellness check call had come into the Champaign Police Department around 8am. A resident of the Shadowwood Mobile Home park off of North Marekt Street reported blue Dodge Caliber in the 0-100 block of Forsythia Drive parked but running in front of his home. He told the officers that the car was blocking part of his driveway and he thought the man inside was asleep. When officers arrived, they approached the vehicle and reported that a black male had been obviously injured and was deceased.
Damien’s parents were approached by two officers with photos of tattoos seeking confirmation that it was in fact Damien.
The crime scene was processed and interviews of the neighbors were conducted. No one heard a gunshot and according to reporter Carol Vorel, the scene did not match any other similar crimes. He was found in a dark area in the back of the neighborhood. I pulled the neighborhood up on the map and as with many subdivisions, there is one road that connects to the main road and then you weave your way back into the individual streets.
I looked up the crime statistics for this area and they weren’t great. This is one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in Champaign, however neighborhood scout gave the city as a whole a 19 on their crime index. Their violent crime rates are double the state averages and your chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 142.
Autopsy reports would list his cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the head. They immediately classified his case as a homicide.
Of course, theories are crafted almost immediately. Why was Damien in this mobile home park? Who was he meeting? Was this even a place he had been before? Detectives told the same reporter that there is a possibility that Damien was there to buy or sell drugs. Detective Jim Bednarz was very vocal that he is not concerned about any sort drug related issues. He just wants to be able to put a few pieces of this puzzle together to know maybe why Damien was there. In that same interview he pleaded with the public to please let him know if there was a possible connection. He also stated that he believed this neighborhood to be a meeting place only and that Damien was not visiting one of the homes.
Damien did not have a criminal history of anything drug related or violent crimes. He did not carry a gun but his parents did say that Damien had made some poor choices in his life that he was trying to remedy. That is why he had made lunch plans with his school coach. He wanted to do better for his daughters and his parents had begged him to stop selling.
Investigators were able to unearth a few leads to help the timeline of where Damien was leading up to his murder. Detective Bednarz reported that Damien had driven around town a bit and met with a few different people seemingly tying up any loose ends he may have. One interaction was not pleasant and turned into an argument allegedly about money. When investigators spoke with this person Damien had argued with, they were not very helpful in the investigation.
From here the investigation stalls. Damien’s case remains unsolved. His daughters miss him terribly.
It will be a decade this year since Damien’s murder.
Detectives are still seeking the public’s help. If you saw, heard or know of any details no matter how small related to this murder, contact the Champaign Police Department by calling (217)351-4545 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 217.373-8477. There is a $5,000 reward.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1227747,-88.2394685,15.15z?entry=ttu
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/il/champaign/crime#description
https://www.wcia.com/news/crime-stoppers-looking-to-solve-2014-murder/
https://www.wcia.com/crime/champaign-co-crime-stoppers-asks-for-help-in-2014-murder-cold-case/
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/we-need-closure/article_96d439ab-3cf3-5cd8-a9cc-8b713d14ba1b.html
https://champaignil.gov/police/file-a-report/unsolved-homicide-investigations/
https://www.newspapers.com/search/?p_province=us-il&p_city=champaign&sort=paper-date-desc
